This invention relates to an apparatus for the breaking of eggs and separation of yolk and albumen, and of the kind comprising a supply conveyor, a washing and flushing system for washing the eggs passing by on the conveyor and an egg breaking mechanism positioned at one end of the conveyor and having a considerable number of egg stations each capable of receiving and holding one egg at the time, and with separate containers for yolk and albumen, the egg stations being arranged for successively passing by the conveyor to receive their eggs and continue through a closed path along which working stations are provided for control of the separation of yolk and albumen, their collection in separate ducts or containers and removal of empty egg shell fractions, a working station for removal of shell fractions comprising a valve-controlled compressed air supply means for blowing off the shell fractions from holder means in each egg station, and a conical scavenging duct for reception and further removal of the blown-off egg shell fractions.
Such apparatus are widely used at the production of egg-products requiring separate treatment of yolk and albumen, or whenever yolk and albumen are to be used in different products.
Prior art apparatus of this type have a high capacity, e.g. 25,000 eggs/hour.
In some cases where such installations have been housed in less than well-ventilated localities, the service personel in these localities may risk exposure to allergy reactions.
Investigations have shown, that these allergy reactions presumably have been caused by the presence of atomized albumen proteins in the air in these localities, and the purpose of the invention is to provide an installation which substantially remedies this problem.